Brian Johnson/AFN
Desert Vista has some of the state's top distance runners, like (left to right) Andrew Hermanski, Carter Macey, Nick Terreri and Ryan Maack, and the new rules state rules make it tough on programs with depth.

The track season has started with some controversy as some coaches are unhappy with the fact that the new bylaws state only four athletes from one school can qualify for an event so coaches have to decide whether or not athletes like Mountain Pointe's Chad Rosel, seen her at a recent practice, should stay in one event or move to another where there is less depth.-

Brian Johnson/AFN
Desert Vista freshman Carly Sokol and her teamamtes are competiing under news qualifying procedures for track and it will shut out some top performers because the new rules limits how many individuals at school can take per event.

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Changes in state qualifying upset many coaches

Brian Johnson/AFN
Desert Vista has some of the state's top distance runners, like (left to right) Andrew Hermanski, Carter Macey, Nick Terreri and Ryan Maack, and the new rules state rules make it tough on programs with depth.

The track season has started with some controversy as some coaches are unhappy with the fact that the new bylaws state only four athletes from one school can qualify for an event so coaches have to decide whether or not athletes like Mountain Pointe's Chad Rosel, seen her at a recent practice, should stay in one event or move to another where there is less depth.-

Brian Johnson/AFN
Desert Vista freshman Carly Sokol and her teamamtes are competiing under news qualifying procedures for track and it will shut out some top performers because the new rules limits how many individuals at school can take per event.

If Desert Vista coach Chris Hanson was in the same position last
season, he'd have to look at two of his six female pole vaulters
and say, "Sorry, but you can't compete at the state meet."

These are the same six athletes who finished in the top seven in
the Class 5A Division I state meet and are now competing in
college.

It's enough to drive any coach nuts.

"I am very frustrated with this and it is like we are not being
heard," Hanson said. "How am I supposed to go to an athlete and/or
their parents and say, ‘Great effort? You earned a state qualifying
distance, but you can't compete at state.'

"We will cross that bridge when we get to it, but as a coach I have
to decide whether it is even worth a kid trying an event if I know
they can't crack our top four, but might make the top eight in
state."

The Arizona Interscholastic Association is coming under scrutiny
again - football and soccer coaches have been the most adamant -
for making state-wide decisions that seem to go against what the
majority in the sport wants or feels is the right way to handle the
state by-laws.

In the track case, it is the fact that a school can only take four
athletes per event to the state meet. It doesn't matter how many
meet the qualifying standard, only four can compete at state.

In other words, two of last year's Desert Vista pole vault
participants would have had to watch from the stands instead of
helping set a national standard when all six cleared at least 11
feet.

"It is pure discrimination against certain schools with Desert
Vista being one of them," Hanson said. "It's basically hurting kids
that go to Chandler, (Mesa) Mountain View or Desert Vista because
we have athletes who excel in our sport and we have a lot of
depth.

"I am sticking up for track athletes not just Desert Vista
athletes. There are plenty of programs out there that will be hurt
by this."

The AIA's David Hines, who is the state tournament director for
track, said the rule had been in place in years past but recently
that had not been the case.

"Over time, coaches held kids (who already qualified) out of region
meets and brought in other kids to qualify them for state," he told
the Arizona Republic. "Coaches with a lot of kids now had five, six
or seven in an event.

"Honestly, we are following the (National) Federation rule. The way
outside qualifying was set up and the way it evolved, we needed to
reel it back in and do what we normally did. Usually, those really
good kids make it in another event."

Another factor that has bothered Hanson is a majority of the
coaches spoke out against it back when it became public in
July.

They again voiced their displeasure at the annual coaches' clinic
in January. Apparently it was never enough, as the track committee
went ahead with the revisions.

"When I first saw it I thought it was just a proposal and everyone
got together and said we can't let this happen," he said. "We
didn't think it would go through because it was so farfetched. I
don't know. Maybe there are some coaches out there who wanted it to
happen, but it didn't seem that way.

"When the football coaches came out against the AIA (and put
together a petition to have more say so) I shook my head, but now I
understand. The AIA, in my opinion, is not listening."

Events that this could really come into play for are the Thunder
pole vault and throwing events, and high jump and distance running
events.

Desert Vista has long been a power in track in part because the
team's quality of depth. Its fifth best competitor in an event just
might be good enough to finish in the top eight in the state.

"It is just unfortunate," Hanson said. "I know they are trying to
cut corners by shortening meets and having (all of the state meets)
at one place, but how much time would a few extra competitors add?
I don't know.

"But I do know it takes away the chance to succeed from these
athletes."

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